White Noise
by TelepathFreak
Summary: Toby begins developing an unstable increase in his powers, and learns he can do something else with his mind.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

Vomit spewed out of Toby's mouth. More and more voices flowed into his head as he tried to rebuild his barrier.

_It wasn't me, I swear! Give me your lunch money, freak I saw him earlier today Wanna go for a coffee Kellan watch out for that bicycle I should give him a call later..._

More voices flowed into Toby's mind, and he threw up again. He gasped between breaths. Getting air into his throat seemed like rocket science these days.

Toby rubbed his forehead. The pain was killing him, and if he heard anymore thoughts, he knew his head was going to split in two. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed Oz's number.

" Oz? It's me. There's something wrong with me. I need you here to bring me to the hospital. Just hurry, okay?"

The wait wasn't long. Oz always drove his car like a maniac. He was crazy, but more reliable than a cab driver.

" Hey, man. I had to stop for something to eat. I was starving," he rooted around in the grocery bag until he found a bag of chips. He opened them and began to chow down. " Want some?"

" No, thank you..." Toby whispered, rubbing his forehead

" I got you a beer, my buddy. You were low the last time I- hey, Toby. Are you alright?"

Toby felt his head getting full again with the thoughts of the city around him. He clenched his hands into a fist and tried to block it out. The room was beginning to spin.

" Toby! You got to tell me what's wrong, man! I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong!" Oz's voice was starting to sound contorted.

Toby fell to his hands and knees and stared at the floor, concentrating so hard that he watched as a trail of blood trickle out of his nose. The pain in his head was intensifying, as were the voices. He swallowed a cry as he felt stabbing in the back of his head.

*** I'd wish he'd stop that Now that's cool Oh my, that stupid show is on again Is daddy home yet? Almost there Open up you idiot! Oh man I got school tomorrow I didn't finish it Oh crap Why won't he say anything to me? I wish mommy and daddy were here I told him to come at 7 She's such a bi-_***_

Finally, a scream that had building up in Toby for 20 years came out of him. He placed his hands over his ears and curled up into a ball on his kitchen floor. He felt Oz shaking him and trying to pull him to his feet, but Toby didn't budge. He didn't want to move. He just wanted it to stop.

" Oh, dammit Toby! Uh-" Oz tinkered around the room, looking for Toby's cell phone. When he did find it, he scrolled through the contacts until he saw Ray Mercer's name. He pressed 'Talk' and the phone began to ring.

" Toby?" came a voice on the other end.

" Uh, no. This is Oz. His friend from work? I didn't know who else to call-"

" Where's Toby, Oz? May I speak to him, please?"

" Actually, you can't. He's occupying his kitchen floor right now, shaking in God knows what..." Oz ran a hand through his hair and watched Toby shake on the floor.

" You did the right thing by calling me, Oz. I'll be there in five minutes," Then there was the dial tone.

Oz snapped the phone shut and sat next to his friend.

" Don't worry, man. Help is coming. Just hang in there, okay?"

Toby said nothing, but his eyes rolled up into his head and he ceased shaking.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Ray examined Toby=s pulse. It was fast and erratic, as was his heartbeat.

A So? What=s the verdict? Oz sat next to Toby with a cold cloth on his friend=s forehead. Toby=s temperature had spiked up to 103.6F and he was shivering with the heat.

Ray sighed and shook his head. A As much as I=d like to say that it=s a cold, this is something much more than that, Ray looked at Oz with furrowed brows. A Just out of curiosity... has Toby been complaining of migraines lately?

Oz thought about it. Now that he mentioned it, he did see Toby take Aspirin once or twice in the past couple of days. And, to add to that, he seemed unfocused and disoriented at work, stopping occasionally to rub his forehead.

A Yeah, as a matter of fact. I mean, not directly, but I have seen him pop the occasional Aspirin into his mouth at work. A couple times he even stopped pumping oxygen into a patient=s mouth to rub his forehead. Almost killed a couple of our patients, Oz chuckled grimly.

Ray nodded in acknowledgment. A I see. Well, there can only be one explanation for this phenomenon he is experiencing...

Oz waited for a reply, but Ray only continued to scratch his head and watch Toby shiver in his troublesome sleep. A And? You mind telling me what=s wrong with my best friend?

A Oh. Yes. I was lost in my thoughts. I apologize. Ray removed the cloth and placed a hand on Toby=s head, feeling his temperature. A I believe what Toby is experiencing is a unstable increase in his ability to read minds. Ray noticed that Oz was staring at him with a dumb expression on his face. A Have I lost you?

A Yes. I lost you after you apologized.

Ray smiled. A Of course. You are like my students. The information I give them goes through one ear, and out the other. You seem like a really nice young man, Oz, so I=ll explain it in further detail. Stop me if you get the feeling like you=re getting a headache of your own, Ray put the cloth back on Toby=s head and went into the kitchen. A I taught Toby how to build a barrier, which is a wall that separates his own mind from others around him. In some cases, that barrier can become broken and thoughts flow through like water. They can=t be interpreted most of the time, and it=s hard for Toby to distinguish who owns the thought, or voice, whichever one you wish to call it. Are you with me so far?

Oz nodded. For once, he actually understood this man.

A Good, then let me continue. The barrier takes immense concentration to build back up, but once it is, almost all thoughts are blocked out, and the only thing that can break through is-

A Intense thoughts. I remember Toby telling me that once. It just kind of- Oz made a popping noise with his lips- A Smacks him in the face, so to speak.

A Exactly. Something that strong can cause a breakage in the wall. You know how a dam gets a crack in it? What happens then? Water leaks through, or in this case, thoughts from another individual. Whether Toby wants to or not, his mind instantly connects with this other person, and he receives whatever powerful message the sender is sending at the time. Is this making any sense?

A Yes. It is. _For once_, Oz thought.

A little chuckle came from the living room. Both Ray and Oz turned around to see Toby glancing out from underneath the blankets, smiling grimly at them. They could still see him shivering.

A Hi, Oz. Ray, Toby=s voice was hoarse, as if he never had a drink in 4 days. A Why are you guys still here?

A You=ve been ill, Toby. Oz and I have been looking after you for the past 2 hours. You have not been the most cooperative, might I say, Ray chuckled and sat in the armchair next to the couch. A You threw a fit when we tried to bring you over to the couch. You yelled until our ears bled, and you eventually knocked yourself out on the coffee table. Need I continue?

Toby shook his head. A No. Please don=t. I can hear it in your mind, he placed a hand on his temple, trying to block out the noise. It had lessened somewhat, but he could tell it was still there.

A Have you been trying your breathing exercises I=ve taught you? Ray examined Toby=s pupils. They were fully dilated until the point that Ray could only see a bit of Toby=s bright blue eyes.

A No. I=ve been too distracted by all the white noise to be trying to calm myself, Ray. You try having to deal with unwanted visitors in your head 24/7, Toby took the water that Oz handed him and swallowed it in less than a second.

A White noise? Is that how you would describe it as? Ray took out a notebook and began to write.

A White noise? What=s that? Are we talking about the movie White Noise=? Oz asked.

Ray shook his head. A It=s a term Toby and I use when the thoughts are jumbled and incoherent. It just sounds like static, or in this case, white noise, Ray looked back at Toby with his pen ready to write. A How long were you like this, Toby?

Toby shrugged. A A week maybe. 9 days tops.

A Why didn=t you tell anyone? You have 5 people who know your secret, and you never told them that you were having problems with it?

A I have my reasons not to, Ray. I don=t want you worrying about me when you have your own life and problems to worry about. I=m the least of your worries.

Ray chuckled wryly. A No, Toby. That=s where you=re wrong, Ray leaned forward and looked Toby in the eye. A I=ve always thought of you as a son, and a father always worries about his son. Always.

Toby leaned his head back on the couch and sighed heavily. A I=m scared, Ray. This never happened to me before, and it scares me. What if I go insane like my mother? I don=t want to end up like her and hurt the ones I love most.

It was that moment when Ray saw the small, frightened 5 year old boy that he met 20 years ago. All grown up now, yes, but his eyes never changed. Not one bit. You could tell, mind reader or not, what Toby was feeling just by looking into the blue eyes. They revealed all. The boy was angry, why, Ray couldn=t understand, but he knew that when the time came, Toby would tell him.

AI know you=re frightened, Toby. I would be too if something like this happened to me. I believe anyone would. Ray pulled his coat on and gave both young men a nod goodbye. A Call if you need anything, Toby. I=m just a phone call away.

Ray left, leaving Oz and Toby alone in an awkward silence.

Oz cleared his throat. A So you feeling okay now? You gave me quite the scare earlier, buddy.

Toby grinned. A You? Scared? I find that hard to believe, Oz. If I wasn=t so drugged on fever medicine, I=d beg to differ, he smiled and took a beer from Oz. A Now, I believe this is mine, isn=t it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Sleeping was a living hell for Toby. It had been his entire life. For once he just wished it could all stop and he can get a decent night's sleep.

His dreams were intense tonight. They were so vivid that Toby felt like he was actually there at the scene, watching everything, experiencing everything. His mind wandered, but he didn't care anymore. He let it all go.

He watched as a woman with dark blonde hair sat in front of a mirror and began to brush her hair. Toby couldn't see her face, but he instantly knew that she was beautiful. Her hands were small and smooth looking; flawless. She began to hum as she continued to brush her hair.

The image flashed and the woman was now sitting on the bathroom floor, with her head down. Toby could hear that she was crying. He knelt down to reach for her hand, but her hand grabbed his wrist before he could touch her.

That's when he felt it. Pain beyond anything he ever endured in his life. He felt as if someone drove a stake right though his forehead, it was that bad. Once again, Toronto roared in his ears. Every car horn, dog bark, feet pounding and, more than anything else, people's thoughts.

Toby tossed and turned in his bed, trying to block it all out, but it was no use. It was like a broken television with no remote or no power button. It just stayed on and on... and on.

_WILLIAM!!!!!!!_

Toby shot up in bed, breath coming out in heaves as he tried to get some air into his lungs. His heart was pounding in his ribs, and they felt like they were about to break. What the hell was that about? That one voice sounded familiar; he heard it before. He knew he did. William was his name before his mother changed it because they were being hunted by some unknown person that wanted Toby and his brother for some reason... and they wanted his mother dead.

Toby wearily got out of bed and went into the kitchen. Turning on the light, he searched the cupboards for an Advil. He felt a giant pulse in the sides of his head where he had held on so tightly when he was asleep. He popped two pills into his mouth and tilted his head back to swallow them. He never did like taking pills, but he knew it was what he had to do to ease the noise.

Still in his boxers, he picked up the phone and tapped it in his hand, contemplating whether or not to call Olivia, and he tried to decide what he was going to say to her if she picked up.

" Ah, screw it," Toby dialed her number and listened to it ring. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Se-

" Hello?" a woman answered, her voice filled with exhaustion.

" Liv? It's Toby. How are you?"

" Tired, Toby. How do you think I am? I just got from surgery an hour ago and now I'm trying to get some sleep before my next shift. Why did you call me at 2 in the morning?"

Toby sighed heavily, and he heard bedsprings squeak on Olivia's end.

" Toby? Is there something wrong?" she asked, exhaustion replaced with worry.

" Uh... yeah. I can't sleep. Well, actually, I can never sleep. The noise is killing me these days and I just wish I could just end it right now. My dreams are full of weird crap, and I keep hearing some woman's voice calling my real name..."

" Do you need me to come over? I'll bring some of my herbal tea that you love so much?"

" Yeah. That would be great. See you soon," He hung up and groaned.

He walked around his room for awhile, staring at a picture of his mother and himself when he was a small boy. It was the only one had of her. If it wasn't for that picture and a few horribly fragmented memories, he wouldn't even know what his mom looked like. She could have been standing next to him in a line for coffee and he wouldn't have known. He could have missed her like that.

" Toby? Anyone home?" Olivia called.

" Yeah! In here!"

Olivia tiptoed into his room and knocked. " Hey. How are you feeling, baby?"

Toby shook his head. " Like a million dollars. A million dollars stashed in an extremely small wallet, you know?" he tried to laugh, but the look on Liv's face told him to shut up and let her ask the questions.

" Okay. Forget for a minute that I'm your girlfriend. I'm your doctor, now- oh, Toby! Don't you laugh at me!" Toby gave her the cocky smile that he knew melted her heart every time he made it. " I'm your doctor. And you are my patient. What are you in for today, Mr. Logan?" she smiled as she said that. To him, this was a game of pretend. To her, she was serious, but just with a smile.

" Well, Dr. Fawcett, I've been experiencing some excruciating headaches lately, and I've been hearing voices that are beyond recognition. Do you have a verdict yet?"

Liv shook her head and kissed him on the lips. " No, but I'm getting there. What kind of voices are you hearing?"

" Just all of Toronto".

Olivia's eyes widened. " What!? You make it sound like it's nothing, Toby! This is serious! Your power is growing faster than Oz drives you to work!" This made Toby grin. " I thought your range was limited?"

Toby shook his head. " It doesn't seem that way anymore. Quite the opposite, actually. My range is increasing. Oz says I'm mutating," he gave Liv a side glance to see what her reaction would be.

She scoffed. " Oz watched the 'X-Men' movies one too many times. But I have another question for you: What voice _do_ you recognize?"

Toby handed her the picture of his mother and him. " Who's this?" she asked, not knowing who the woman in the picture was.

" My mother. And that's me when I was 5. It's the only picture I have of her," Toby forced a small chuckle to hide his pain, but Olivia saw through it as ususal. She is a doctor after all, he figured. She had to see things other people didn't.

" Really? Wow. You look just like her. And you have her eyes," she giggled. " They're the exact blue".

" Yeah. I know".

" So what are you trying to tell me?"

Toby took back the picture. " I think the woman that was in my dreams and called my name was her. My mom was calling out to me".

Olivia sat up in bed. " Toby... this is serious. I think we should call Ray as soon as possible to tell him that," she reached for his cell and scrolled down for Ray's name, but Toby took it from her.

" Ray and I aren't exactly seeing eye to eye right now, Livvy. I need my space from him for awhile".

Olivia nodded. " Dare I ask what happened to make you need space from him?"

" No. It's a long story and I don't feel like telling it. I'm tired," Toby rubbed his eyes and yawned. He felt like he never slept in two years.

" I'll stay here, if you don't mind. Just to keep a watchful eye on your condition," Olivia pat Toby on the stomach and got up to leave.

" Hey. You can keep a watchful eye in my bed, if you want..."

Olivia blushed. " That's okay, Toby. You snore too much, so I think I'll pass. Rain check on that?"

" Sure. Next time".

Olivia kissed him on the lips and left to go into the living room. Just knowing she was there made Toby feel very comfortable.

That night, he had the best sleep in his entire life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

" Toby?"

No answer.

" Toby Logan?"

Still no answer.

" Toby Logan gets his jeans from the kid section!"

" What?"

Oz rolled his eyes. " Oh, he hears that part. You're spacing out again, dude. You listening to something or something?"

Toby shook his head. " No. Actually, it's been quiet for quite some time now. Not a single thought can be heard at all..." Toby concentrated. Still nothing.

" Maybe people are getting stupid or something, eh? They just walk around with those dumbfound expressions like the zombies in 'Shawn of the Dead'. They looked dumb," Oz grinned, which made Toby grin as well.

" Right, Oz. People are getting more stupid. What was your mark on the medical exam again? I can't remember..."

" Oh, shut up. Just read my mind and you'll know".

Just for a laugh, Toby probed Oz's mind.

Only to find nothing. Not a single thought was going through Oz's mind.

" Uh... Oz. Are you getting stupid, too?"

" Why do you ask?"

Toby swallowed. " I can't hear what you're thinking. Were you thinking anything?"

Oz looked confused. " You wanted to know my medical exam mark, right? I was thinking about that. And that I could go for a taco right about now. I'm starved!"

" Yeah, that much I knew without reading your mind, Oz. You're always hungry, but I couldn't hear your mark. Think of something else," Toby pointed to his head.

" Okay... uh... Got it!" Oz wiggled his eyebrows.

Toby strained to listen, but no thoughts were coming from Oz's head. He felt another trail of blood flow from his nose.

" Whoa, Toby. Your nose is bleeding again. Want to go get it checked out?"

" Maybe I should. But I doubt the doctors have medication for a telepath who can't read minds at the moment".

Both he and Oz climbed out of the ambulance, and Oz placed a hand on Toby's shoulder.

" You weren't kidding, were you? You honestly can't hear anyone's thoughts?"

" Why would I kid about something as serious as this, Oz? This is a real problem for me. I'm so used to having the noise in my head that this silence is killing me, now. It feels weird," Toby turned to Oz. " How do you do it?"

" Do what? Not read minds?"

" No. Cope without having voices in your head. How do you do it?"

Oz rolled his eyes. " Well, Toby. If I was hearing voices in my head, well let's just say we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I'd be in a room with white walls and wearing a comfy warm jacket that allows me to hug myself," Oz chuckled, then waved to Liv. " Hey Liv! Toby's nose is bleeding again. He wants you check him out".

" Correction, Liv. Oz wants you to check me out. I feel fine," Toby lowered his voice to a whisper. " Minus the fact that I can't hear anyone's thoughts today".

Liv raised an eyebrow. " And that's a bad thing?"

Toby nodded. " Yes. It is for me. Remember me? Toby Logan the mind reader?"

" I'm just saying, Toby. Last night you call me and ask me to come over because you can't sleep and 'all of Toronto' was keeping you awake. Remember that?"

Oz's eyes were raised in enthusiasm. " Really, now? You were over at Toby's last night? Did I miss anything?"

Toby rolled his eyes. " Yeah, Oz. We had a sleepover, braided each other's hair and did our toenails. The whole shebang".

" You did each other's nails? What color?"

" Good-bye, Oz," both Toby and Olivia said at the same time.

Oz raised his hands. " Leaving. I'm leaving. But call me the next time you two decide to have a slumber party, and I'll bring over my niece's Truth or Dare game. We'll have a ball!" he roared with laughter as he skipped down the hallway like a little girl. People stared as he went past, but he never seemed to take notice.

" So no thoughts at all?" Olivia asked between giggles. Oz had always been able to make her laugh.

Shaking his head, Toby took a stray strand of hair from Olivia's face and played with it. She blushed, and turned away from him. His eyes were a blazing blue today; she couldn't look at them.

" I want to know what you're thinking, Liv. Tell me..."

" Not what you're thinking, Toby. I can't come over tonight. I have to work all night until 5. Maybe some other time?"

The PA system came on. " Dr. Fawcett to Examination Room 3. Dr. Fawcett to Examination Room 3".

Olivia groaned. " If I have to go in there and deal with Barry one more time, a needle in the arm is the least of his worries," she smiled at Toby. " Talk to you later, okay?"

" Yeah. Okay". Toby hated her leaving him so vulnerable like this. He was having a problem, and she just left him there like it didn't matter. It felt like everyone was leaving him. First his mother, his brother, Ray, and now Olivia.

Toby placed his head on the cold counter-top and groaned. He had no idea how to cope with these changes, or how to get back to the way he was before. With exactly no one to talk to who experienced the same thing, Toby was truly alone in this. He had to find a way to control this change, or it could expose him for what he really was.

A voice made him lift his head and look around. As he glanced towards the emergency exit, he saw a dark blonde head disappear out of it. It seemed oddly familiar to him.

" Hey! Excuse me!" he rushed to the door and emerged outside. The person was walking swiftly towards the bus stop. Toby could tell right away that it was a woman. Her small figure made it obvious, but that wasn't what bothered Toby. It was her hair.

It was the woman from his dream.

" Hey! Stop for a sec! I just want to talk to you!" he walked faster, trying to catch up to the woman, who was at the bus stop back on to him.

***Oh no, please. Don't follow me, baby, I beg of you. Turn around and go back in; they're watching you._***_

Toby stopped in his tracks, stunned by the voice that he heard and knew really well. After hearing it in so many dreams and all the small memories, he could only imagine her face.

" ... Mom?" he whispered

A loud horn brought Toby back to his senses. He saw the bus coming towards him, but his feet were frozen in fear. As if it could protect him, he raised his arms over his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

Only two things could be heard. Toby's heartbeat was pounding in his ears, and his mother's voice was calling his name.

***WILLIAM!!!***


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Dying wasn't so bad. He almost didn't feel the bus hit him at all.

That's because it didn't.

Toby opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he noticed was thatthere was a very, very large crowd of people surrounding him, staring at him in astonishment with a hint of fear. What were they looking at? Him?

Toby turned, only to face a large piece of metal, inches away from his face.

" What the..." Toby walked over to sidewalk and gasped. " Oh... wow".

The bus, a ton and a half transportation system, was crushed in the front as if it had crashed into something 3 times its weight. The metal was severed all over the middle of the road, sharp pieces that looked like large knives and with edges sharp enough to kill you instantly.

Toby ran a hand through his hair and swallowed hard. He saw a kid staring at him from 4 feet away, holding a camera phone, which he was still holding in Toby's direction.

" Hey, kid. Can I see that for a sec? I wanna see what happened," Toby did his best to smile, but his lips were still shaking from fright.

The little boy gasped. " How could you not see? You were right in front of it! You- you- Just look for yourself!" the boy gave Toby his phone. " Press that button to see it".

Unsure if he wanted to even see it at all, Toby hesitated before pressing play on the phone.

He watched as he walked across the road. He could hear the boy scream " There's a bus coming, mom! That man's gonna get hit!" Screams filled the phone, only Toby couldn't remember any screams before he got–well, almost got hit. What really caught Toby's attention was what happened next.

He raised his arms, and Toby saw a large ball of energy emit from his body, and smashed into the bus, making the front look like it smashed into a wall or something. It had stopped inches away from Toby's trembling body.

Toby gave the boy back his phone, hand trembling and nearly dropping it.

" Thanks, kid..." Toby's voice was dry.

The boy shook his head. " No. Thank you. You gave me something to look forward to when I get home. Can you imagine how many hits on Youtube I'm gonna get on this?!" he laughed and ran away.

Toby was worried now. He headed back into the hospital. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed that there was no one around. The patients were there, and they were staring at him in shock.

" Oh, not you guys, too..." Toby gasped for air as he tried to find Oz and Liv. Making a turn to the check out counter, he saw one of the receptionists there, mumbling into the phone.

" Hey, Amy. Is Liv around? Or Oz? Do you know where they're to?"

Amy, looked up slowly into Toby's eyes. Finally, as if by a miracle, Toby heard her thoughts.

_***_Oh my god. You don't know how shocked people are around here, Toby. Every person ran to the window and watched you nearly get killed. What you did was–***

He stopped in mid-thought and sighed. " Where are Oz and Liv, Amy?"

" In the hanger. Everyone is," she shuddered and hung up the phone.

" Yeah. Thanks".

Toby went into the cockpit and was shocked to see that Amy was right. _Everyone _was there. With shocked looks on their faces. Right in the very front were Oz and Olivia, even more shocked than everyone else.

" You know, the looks you guys are giving me lately are starting to get a little old," Toby chuckled, but no one joined him.

" Dude..." Oz approached him and leaned into his ear. " We got to get you out of here. People are wondering what the hell you did to that bus out there... Every room is filled with injured people from that bus, man. One of them was a baby girl".

Toby felt another migraine coming on. He could hear every thought going through every person's mind in the hospital.

***Oh my god what the hell happened? What did we hit? My arm hurts I dropped my breather Oh not again Did we hurt that man? What the hell did he do to the bus? I felt a blast of energy He was cute I hope he didn't die I miss my granddaughter I hope mom don't get mad Where's the doctor? How come I can't talk?_***_

Toby's eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the floor, blood coming from his nose and shaking as if he was having a seizure. Oz cried out and lift his head, his voice barely audible to Toby. Liv rushed over and listened to his pulse and heartbeat. For a split second, Toby regained his vision, and he saw the only two people that were over to help him were Oz and Liv. All the other doctors and nurses were backed away, wanting nothing to do with the freak that was shaking like a madman on the floor.

" Oz-Oz-Oz..." Toby stuttered and pulled Oz down to the floor by his collar. " Get me to– Get me to Ray. He-he knows what to do with me," he grunted as something brushed against his mind.

_***_My baby boy... I shouldn't have gone in to see you. I knew I was risking your safety, but I wanted to see my angel again. You've grown up so much, and you're so handsome..._***_

A smile spread across Toby's mouth and Liv and Oz struggled to get him onto a stretcher in the back of the ambulance. People watched, whispering as Toby was sat up in a stretcher and looking out at them.

_***_He's such a nice young man, I do hope he gets better Oh Toby Get better soon, man What's wrong with him? Why is he shaking like that? We'll be seeing you soon, Logan Get better Oh my god he looks horrible_***_

Toby's head fell back onto the pillow. Liv frowned and put an ice pack on his head. She winced and looked down at her hand. She had actually burned her hand by touching his skin.

" Oz! Can you start this thing up any faster? Toby's burning up like a volcano here. He burned my hand!" Olivia checked his temperature. " Oh my god!"

" What is it? Toby's really a girl?" Oz tried to lighten the mood, but he felt a hard smack on the side of his face. " Ouch! Are you trying to get us killed?! I'm trying to drive here in case you didn't notice!"

" Don't joke, Oz! Toby's temperature is 104.7°F and increasing! 0.8, 0.9– 105! Oz!!!! drive!!!"

Oz rolled his eyes and turned on the sirens. Cars that were driving slow in front of him pulled over to the side and let him pass.

They got to the university and hastily parked in the parking lot. Students watched as Oz pulled Toby out of the back with confused looks on their faces.

" Yo, dude! You know this ain't a hospital, right?" a boy laughed as Oz passed by. ***Dumb ass thinks this is a freakin' hospital.***

Toby lift his head slightly to look up at the young man. A drop of blood fell from his nose and fell onto the ground, and the boy's mind fell silent. His face dropped and he said no more, and Toby's head fell back again.

" Is Ray Mercer in today?" Oz asked a young girl as he rolled into the hallway.

The girl paused and looked down at the body in the stretcher. " Hey, I know him! He comes to see Prof. Mercer sometimes!" she looked back at Oz. " But why are you taking him here? The hospital's in the other direction..."

Liv placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. " We think Ray might know what's happening to Toby. Can you lead us to his classroom?"

The girl nodded. " I think he's still in his office. I just came from there. Follow me," the girl indicated Oz to follow. _Poor Toby... But Ray's an expert on the mind, so why would Toby be coming to see him?_

Toby turned his head and vomited on the floor. Oz cringed and backed away.

" Oh, that's just gross, man. Watch the fireworks, huh? Save them for Ray. These are my new pants..."

The girl knocked on a large mahogany door. " Professor? There's someone, well, people are here to see you. It looks like an emergency".

" Come in. My door's always open for help. Oh, hello again, Dawn".

Oz rolled in with the stretcher. Toby's pale face shone in the room's light, and Liv continued to pump oxygen into his mouth.

Ray looked up from his papers, and his smile was replaced with horror. He rushed over to his couch and cleared off all the papers that were on it.

" Place him here. Quickly!" Ray helped Oz lift Toby from the stretcher onto the couch. The girl watched and shuffled from foot to foot.

" Do you want me to help with anything, Professor?" she asked, her voice getting softer as Toby's blue eyes turned to look at her. She blushed and looked down at her feet. ***I should've worn something different today. He's really hot...But everyone tells me I'm hopeless and ugly. The ugly duckling.***

Toby slowly sat up and looked at the girl. Gathering the strength, he opened his mouth to speak. " You are not ugly, Dawn. You're beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise..." Toby clutched his head and fell back onto the couch, eyes contorted in pain.

Dawn gasped and blushed a deeper red. " Thank you..." she whispered.

Ray placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder. " I need you lock all the doors in this hallway, Dawn. I don't want anyone coming in here and disrupting us. The keys are in that dish over there, okay? And when you come back, could you lock this door as well?"

Dawn looked down at the keys, slightly confused. " Why do you want me to lock the doors for? Then how-"

" Just do as I say, Dawn. Please. Toby's life depends on it," Ray smiled grimly and ushered her out the door. " And can you lock the main door downstairs, too?"

Oz looked up quickly. " The main door? Ray... just how serious is this condition that Toby's in?"

Ray never looked at him. " Serious, Ozmen. If he releases another force of energy like that again, he could damn near kill us all. Everyone in this building. Dead".

Olivia and Oz exchanged worried glances. " But how does locking the doors help save us all?" Liv asked, holding Toby's burning hand in her own. She ignored her own pain in her hand, as excruciating as it was. She loved Toby and didn't want to see him die.

" It won't, but it'll keep them from coming in".

" Who's 'Them'?"

" Remember that man, Victor Cluny, that was looking for Toby a couple weeks back? The people he works for. Them".


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Toby felt like he weighed a ton. His arms were too heavy to move. If he wanted something, like a drink of water, he had to think of what he wanted to Ray, who could read minds of his own a little bit.

He did a little searching of his own while he was just laying there on the couch. He listened to everyone's thoughts as they passed through his head.

_***_Oh, Toby. Please wake up. I want to see your beautiful blue eyes again_,*** _Olivia thought as she held his hand and switched ice packs on his head. He felt cooler, much cooler than he had been earlier. He was now shivering with cold, now, instead of heat.

_***_I'm hungry. I wonder... if I asked Ray for something to eat, would he give me anything?_***_

Toby snorted at who thought that. A small grin crossed his face and he turned in his sleep.

Oz raised an eyebrow. " What's he smiling about?"

" Something you thought, perhaps?" Ray asked, raising his own eyebrow at Oz.

Liv chuckled and kissed Toby's hand. She wouldn't have been able to earlier. He would've scorched the lips off her.

Dawn was sitting next to Oz, reading a book. She shook her head and looked up at Ray.

" Professor... I've been doing some reading in this book, and I'm starting to think the impossible..."

Ray shook his head. " Nothing's impossible, Dawn. Just probable. What is it?"

" Earlier, when Toby-can I call him Toby?" Ray nodded. " Well, when Toby looked at me earlier, I was thinking negative thoughts about myself... and Toby then, oh, I don't know... He said the exact opposite of what I was thinking. It was as if he knew what I was thinking. So, I'm starting to believe that these people brought him to you for a reason," Dawn glanced at Toby, making sure he was still asleep. " Professor... Can Toby read minds?"

Ray looked from Oz, to Liv, then to Toby. " Well, I suppose its no secret now, thanks to you, Toby. Yes, Dawn. Mr. Logan here can read minds, but this past week or so he's been demonstrating some signs of a change in his powers. You remember what you saw on the news? With him stepping out in front of the bus and it stopping within inches from his body? I believe he's developing telekinesis".

Oz gaped at Ray. " Telekinesis? You mean the ability to move things with your mind?"

Ray nodded in approval. " Yes, Ozmen. Exactly that. After years of building up one gift, another begins to branch out and develop as well. First stage is always a powerful boost in the previous gift, then a sudden outburst of the new one. With some time and practice, and a little patience, might I add, I can get Toby to control this new gift as well".

Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Toby could move things with his mind, now? There was a lot going on in his head. She pitied him more than anything else. Having to deal with that threat on the senses must be painful and hard to deal with at times. All those times when she got mad at him for not telling her where he was going at times, before she even knew that he could read minds, she finally understood why he didn't tell her to begin with. It was dangerous stuff. And at the time, Toby didn't even know that people were after him.

Toby suddenly sat up with wide eyes and glanced around the room. Ray, Liv, Oz and Dawn looked at him in confusion and shock.

" Toby? What is it?" Ray whispered. " What did you hear?"

" How do you know if he heard something? He might be completely snapped out of it by now.." Oz snapped his fingers in front of Toby's eyes. They never moved.

Ray ignored Oz. " Toby... What did you hear?"

Toby slowly faced the door. " They're here. Someone let them in".

Ray rushed over to the door and doubled locked it. He managed to push a desk in front of the door and placed a couple of chairs on top of it. " Oz... go through the back and get Toby, Olivia and Dawn out of here. I'll hold them off," Oz never moved. " Go! Now!"

Toby stood up as if he had the strength of ten men inside him all along. " I'm not leaving you here alone, Ray. You're like a father to me. And a son always worries about his father. Always".

This made Ray pause and take a shaky breath. " Toby... you just don't have the strength to face them, right now. Not now".

Toby shook his head. " And you do? What are you going to do, Ray? Lecture their ears off?" This made Ray smile. " Right? Let me help you. The girls can leave through the back, and Oz can watch their backs. Sound good, Oz?"

Oz smiled proudly. " You make me feel like a hero, Toby. For once, I get to save women!"

" Oz, you save women all the time..." Toby grumbled. Oz thought about it and said " Oh".

A banging of doors could be heard from down the halls. Toby glanced at Ray. Ray put a finger to his lips and pointed to Toby's head.

_***_Do not read their minds, Toby. They'll know when you do.***

Toby nodded and opened the closed blinds just enough for his eye to peek out into the hallway. He gasped as a man passed by in a black suit, and snapped the blinds shut.

Oz whistled softly and pointed to the back door. " Where does this lead?" he whispered.

" Emergency exit downstairs. You can't miss it," Ray whispered back. Oz nodded and followed behind Dawn. Liv stayed behind for a second and stared at Toby. Her lips quivered and a tear fell down her face.

_***_Toby, I–***

" You don't have to say it, Liv. I already know. I love you, too," Toby smiled and pointed towards the door.

Olivia nodded, leaving Toby alone in the room with Ray.

The shuffling of feet stopped suddenly. Confused, Toby decided to take a swift look into their minds. Ray must've figured out what he was doing; he had outstretched his arms and was shaking his head frantically.

" Toby, no!!!!"

A wailing screech filled Toby's ears. He cried out and fell onto his back, while holding his head in pain. It continued until the point Toby thought he was deaf. Ray's lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.

The door blasted open and Ray was flung back onto the floor. There was a deep gash in his head, and from where Toby was lying on the floor, he could see a small piece of wood jutting out of his head.

The screeching stopped and Toby was able to see again. He coughed and turned his head to see a large pair of boots standing to his left. A hand took him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him to his feet.

" Well, well, well. Toby Logan. Or shall I call you William? It's been a long while since I last saw you. All grown up now, huh? Your mom would be proud of you. Too bad she left you in the middle of the road to die, eh?"

Toby concentrated and tried to let out that energy force that he released when the bus was going to hit him, but the man laughed and a hard fist crunched into his face, and blackness consumed him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Toby's head felt like he'd been blowing up balloons all day. Not only was there a huge lump growing on the side of his head, but miraculously, all was quiet again. Not a sound anywhere. It was...peaceful almost.

" Wakey, wakey. Oh, hello handsome. Have a nice nap?" A deep voice grumbled into Toby's ear. Shaking his head, Toby slowly opened his eyes to see that he was still in Ray's office, but he was strapped to a chair. Three men surrounded him, all wearing black suits and sunglasses. Oddly enough, they reminded Toby of The Men In Black. He chuckled and shook his head.

" What are you laughing at, chuckles? Something seem funny to you?" The man closest to him spat.

" Cliché, don't you think? You guys work for this big company that specializes in ridding the world of mindfreaks, and your mommy still dresses you in the morning?" Toby laughed, but soon felt a hard punch in the face. He winced and squinted his right eye. " Ow..."

" Damn right. I hope that hurt, freak. Maybe that'll teach you to shut your mouth and speak when you're spoken to, huh?" he raised his fist again, and Toby prepared for the blow.

" That's enough, Ralph. You proved your point already. Move on, eh?" The shortest man now stood in front of Toby, looking him over several times before speaking. " Hmm...he looks like Maya. Has her eyes, scared expression, but does he have her gift?"

Toby chuckled under his breath. " Gift? I don't know what you guys are talking–" Toby cringed when the screech filled his head again. no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring his barrier up or keep a straight face. The screech sounded like static, like–

_White Noise_

Toby turned to face Ray, who lay unconscious on the floor...or so Toby thought. _I'm fine, Toby. Distract these men while I call the police. Just...entertain them somehow. _Toby rolled his eyes. Easier said then done.

" The mind reading gift, boy. You know, telepathy?" Ralph asked, taking out a small pocket knife and snapping it open.

" Telepathy, huh? That would be neat trick to have, right?" Toby smiled as innocently as he could, making Ralph press the knife against his throat.

" Here's a neater trick: I slit your throat and watch the life flow from your body!"

" Ralph...we discussed this, didn't we? No slitting people's throats?"

" Yes, James. I know. But this one is really starting to piss me off...he makes it sound like everything's going to be okay! I hate it!" Ralph shook his head and groaned. " Just let me kill him now, James. We can end this right here and now. Just say the word–"

" No. We need him alive, for the project, remember?" James snatched the knife from Ralph's hand, and cried out. " You dumbass! You cut me!"

" Yeah? Who's fault is that now? Not mine!" Both men began to argue, and the third man strode over to Toby and leaned forward. Toby leaned back slightly, nervous as to what this man was going to do.

" Toby...it's me. Charlie."

Toby's eyes widened. " Charlie?! What are you doing here? Are you wearing a fat suit?"

Charlie rolled her eyes and shook her head. " No time for questions now. We need to get you out of here before these loons finish their bickering. Can you remember how you triggered that blast of energy thing from earlier today?"

Toby shrugged. " How am I supposed to know? I was more focused on trying not to get hit by a half ton bus!"

Charlie scoffed and turned back on to the arguing James and Ralph. " Think, Toby. Think about what happened today."

" Hey, that's my line," Toby grinned, making Charlie poise her hand to slap him. " Okay! I'll try...uh...I remember someone had the radio on, and it was all static...that can't be it though, right?" Toby watched as Charlie's eyes widened in epiphany.

" Static, you say? I overheard these goofs say that some kinds of static trigger some kind of effect in the brain of someone who has a gift. Want to give it a try?" Charlie never let Toby answer. She walked over to a table and took out a small walkie talkie. She turned it on, and James and Ralph's attention suddenly turned to her.

" What the hell are you doing, Charlie boy?" Toby grinned. " We can't contact the boss until we know for sure that this is really Toby Logan! Or William, or whatever the frig his name is!"

" Yes, I know that," Charlie's voice became gruff and deep, and Toby had t bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing. " I wanted to try something. If we get the right frequency on this thing, we can block our minds from this freak and he'll be rendered useless in trying to escape." Way to go Charlie, Toby thought. She just twisted the whole plan around the opposite way.

" Oh...okay then. If you think that'll help, then be our guest. You are the newbie, after all."

Charlie flicked on the walkie talkie until static could be heard. She gave Toby sly glances to see which one was the correct station, but Toby couldn't tell. To him, it was all static.

_Toby, you have to tell me which one it is! Otherwise, we'll be caught and I'll possibly get killed! _Toby shook his head at her, and listened carefully. As she flicked to another station, Toby felt a weird sensation in the back of his mind. It felt like an air bubble one gets in the back of their throat sometimes, and they have to cough it up. Toby nodded his head and with his eyes, told Charlie to get behind him. Charlie placed the walkie talkie down and stood behind Toby.

" Hey, what? Charlie...are you sure this is the right frequency? What the hell?! This is the station for–"

James and Ralph were flung backwards by an invisible force and their heads smacked against the brick wall. Toby suddenly felt his hands become free of the bonds, and he stood to his feet.

" Thanks, Charlie. I owe you one. Was this why you were gone for a couple of days? To gain these guys trust?"

" Yes, and it wasn't easy. There's more of them out there, Toby. And they're all looking for people with powers like yours. So maybe you could lay low of knowing personal information for awhile?" Charlie raised an eyebrow as she helped Ray to his feet, and Ray chuckled.

" You said you were going to call the police!" Toby smiled as Ray rolled his eyes.

" Yes, but that was before I found out that there was cop in the room with us. And Detective Marks here was doing a fine job on her own, if I may say so myself," Charlie blushed and looked down at her feet. " So is it over now? Those men...they won't be coming back?"

Toby glanced over his shoulder at the unconscious men. " I don't think so, Ray. There's more out there, and they all want the same thing," Toby didn't have to tell Ray; he automatically knew. " And I'm sorry about yesterday, Ray. I didn't mean what I said."

" I know, Toby. I know," Ray whispered, and the three looked at each other."

********

Olivia embraced Toby in a bone-cracking hug.

" I thought you were dead..." she whispered in his ear, and he grinned.

" Well, if I would've known that being held against my own will would get me this close to you all the time, I should get abducted more often, huh?" Olivia was too occupied with hugging him to smack him or roll her eyes. Smiling to himself, Toby wrapped his own arms around her and held her tight, too afraid to let go.

" So this whole telekinesis thing...it's over now? You're back to being the old 'I Can Read Your Mind' Toby Logan?" Olivia pulled away and looked into Toby's eyes.

" What's wrong with that? I thought that was a pretty decent title," Toby smiled and took her hand.

" Well...whatever floats your boat, Logan," Olivia smiled and raced across the university's front lawn, towards Oz's car.

Toby grinned and placed his hands in his coat pockets, where he felt something inside them. He pulled out a small pen with a note attached to it. 'Practice Makes Perfect' the note said, and Toby rolled his eyes. Of course. It was from Ray

Concentrating, he watched as the pen swivelled in his hand for a second before falling to the grass.

It wasn't over quite yet.

**A bit lame, right? Yeah, but the last couple of days I had a wicked migraine enough to kill me, and pills didn't work, and the story came to this crappy ending(maybe I'm developing telepathy, huh?). And I know! Toby doesn't have telekinesis on the show, but Oz did say that his power was changing and he was mutating, so I figured "Why not have Toby develop telekinesis?" Might not happen if the show is renewed (for God's sake, renew it so I don't drive my mother up the wall with reruns every single day!) But it's just a story :D Review please! I love reading what you fans have to say ;)**


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